Negotiation of Terms
by DrunkOnJerichohol
Summary: A not-so-professional tug of war in the workplace supplies Stephanie a heaping dose of reality. If only contract negotiations with a certain someone came around more often... (one-shot)


******Disclaimer**: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. Any and all original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

_Fold, stuff, seal. - Dad_

Stephanie blew a tuft of hair from her face and rolled her eyes at the note accompanying her supposed special delivery. As active Executive Vice President, Creative, she expected her daily job duties at Titan Towers would involve much more than folding fliers and stuffing them into envelopes. The standard peppermint taste of the envelope seal she licked time and again before folding the flap over was the highest point of said chore, which basically wasn't saying much at all. She had been in the middle of revamping the first draft of the unofficial script for Raw when a doe-eyed gofer knocked on the door and presented her with a crate of paper and envelopes.

Naturally, Stephanie's first instinct had been to politely shoo the young woman away and inform her she had the wrong room, but, as it turned out, Vince was sending her a message. He had done it to Shane back when he still worked for the company, and, now, he was doing it to Stephanie. Their father felt it his duty to make an example of them every once in a while and remind them not to fall back on mediocrity in the workplace, or he would have their jobs just as easily as anyone else's. Stephanie hissed when her tongue slid too far over the edge of the envelope seal and she earned herself her first paper cut of the day.

As if it wouldn't have been brutal enough had the paper sliced through her finger, she would now have to deal with a red, swollen tongue on top of everything else. But she still played along nicely because, somewhere in the back of her mind, Stephanie knew her father was serious enough to chop her down to size if she didn't go along with his pleasant reminders. She spied the crate through the clear view offered by her glass desk, sighing as she studied the towering mound remaining. An idea hit when she least expected it, and Stephanie tossed the current envelope aside, picking up her phone to call for information on the whereabouts of the woman who initially brought her such menial work.

She wasn't above paying someone else off to do an unskilled job that was decidedly beneath her, but the knock on her door interrupted her attempt. Stephanie placed the phone back onto its cradle and started to call out and ask who it was, but her eyes skimmed over her open day planner first, and a low gasp slipped through her parted lips. Vince had put her in charge of Chris Jericho's newest contract negotiations, what with all the touring he had planned for Fozzy and the resulting time off he would undoubtedly need. Had she been on her game, she wouldn't dare have allowed his visit to slip her mind, but part of the job was to roll with the crazy punches.

"I'm coming!" she called out. Stephanie left the completed envelopes in a short stack on her desk and slid out from under it, smoothing her skirt as she stood. Her image reflected back to her in the wall mirror across the room, and she fluffed her hair and flipped it behind her shoulders before latching onto the door handle and pulling it open. "Hey, Chris."

"Hey," he answered lowly. His eyes settled on hers, his throat undergoing a visible shift as he swallowed thickly. Chris's gaze heightened to her curled hair before lowering dramatically as he skimmed her business coat and matching skirt. "You look pretty."

"Thanks, I'm glad you think so," she smiled warmly, extending her hand towards her office. "Come on in."

"Thanks," Chris said as he passed through the doorway. He strolled to the awaiting chair in front of Stephanie's desk and took a seat, gazing around in familiarity as he reacquainted himself with the office he hadn't visited for quite some time. After the click of the door sounded, Stephanie's footsteps were the only noise to be heard as she rounded her desk and took a seat, folding her hands and bringing them to a rest on top of it. "Not much has changed since I was last here, I guess."

"Nope, not much," she blew a few wisps of hair from her face. A couple of bobby pins rested on the table near her stapler, and she made a swift grab for one and secured the offending bundle of hairs at the crown of her head, growling shortly in the process.

Chris raised an eyebrow and laughed, "Do I detect a little hostility?"

"Frustration is more like it," she said, shaking her head when he focused in on her hair. "No, not with my hairdo. I'm talking about this," she pointed through her desk, and Chris leaned forward to view the contents of the crate below.

"What's all that?"

"My dad gave it to me because he wants to — "

" — keep you humble," Chris finished for her.

"Exactly."

"Hm," he grunted, bringing his elbows to settle on the armrests of his chair as he cracked his knuckles. "I know of much better ways to keep you in check."

Stephanie's eyes widened only for a fraction of a second, but it was long enough to assure Chris he had achieved the desired reaction. It was nice to know he hadn't lost his touch since negotiating his contract with her the previous year. A deep crimson blush coursed through Stephanie's cheeks and still hadn't abated by the time she cleared her throat and pulled his file from the top of the cabinet beside her. "So," she cleared her throat a second time, putting on her professional face, "this is your contract now, but, from what I understand, you need some more dates off. Is that correct?"

"Yes, it is," he folded his hands and rested them on top of his abdomen. The more he watched her face, the deeper the flushing of her cheeks grew, so, for her own benefit, Chris looked away. He couldn't risk Stephanie getting her fill of satisfaction before they had even begun their talks. His eyes grazed over a wall hanging from the Be a Star Creative Coalition, and the simplicity in the lone action of removing his attention from Stephanie settled the unease in her posture.

Shifting in her seat, she continued, "I can sign off on the changes you need and send them up to my dad. He'll take care of it from there, and he doesn't challenge what I request of him, so as long as you and I can agree on the terms here today, you'll get what you want."

"I'll get what I want anyway," he smirked.

"Excuse me?" she asked. Her persistent throat clearing made a sudden reappearance.

"You okay over there?" Chris pressed on. "I'd be more than happy to make another visit to that drugstore I stopped at on the way here and pick up some cough drops for you. It's no problem at all."

"No, really, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" his tone mocked her from afar as he crossed his arms and chomped on his chewing gum. "You don't seem fine at all. Maybe I should come over there and check on you."

"Nope, I'm fine," Stephanie repeated. It was a struggle to keep the smile off her face, and when it broke through, Chris's cocky head bobbling was akin to him actually making the effort to openly pat himself on the back for a job well done. No matter how hard she resisted, he always found a way to bust through her protective barriers. Stephanie bit down on her bottom lip in an attempt to hide her smile and picked up a pen. "Can you tell me what, specifically, you're looking to change?"

"Why? You should already know that, now shouldn't you?" Chris tilted his head and pressed his lips together.

Stephanie let out a calming breath and watched on as Chris stood from his seat and went to her office door. He tugged on it with all his strength, making sure the lock was engaged and they wouldn't be interrupted. Stephanie tapped her pen absently against her lips as she admired the way his jeans hugged his muscular build and the way his shirt stretched itself to its limits where it surrounded his hulking biceps. He crossed the room and every inch of her bottom half stirred to attention.

Chris commanded the room, much in the same way he worked the stage at his Fozzy gigs, and she decided then not to even bother trying to resist his advances. She didn't want to, nor would it work. He strolled up behind her desk and knelt at her side, placing his hand on the arm of her chair. Stephanie scooted back and swiveled the wheels of her seat so she was facing him head-on, sucking in at her teeth when his piercing blue eyes cut through her own and stole her breath in the process. Chris lifted his right hand and brought it down on her knee, caressing the area with his thumb.

"I missed you while I was away," he admitted.

"I missed you, too."

"That's good to know," he regarded her gently, sliding his hand from her knee to a spot farther up her thigh. "So, about my contract, the first thing I need off is four dates at the end of August."

Just as she had the year before, Stephanie objected. Good things followed when she made him work for what he wanted. "I'm sorry, Chris, but we can't do that. I can allow you a day off here and there, but four days close together is entirely too many."

"I did it last year," he taunted, bringing his hand up to her opposing leg and messaging each of her thighs. "I don't understand how you could have given those dates to me last year, but now, all of the sudden, I can't have them this year. Does that sound very fair to you, Steph? _Does_ it?"

"I didn't want to give that many dates to you last year, either," she reminded, tossing her pen aside on her desk and combing her fingers through his styled hair. She tugged on his spiked locks with enough force to draw his head back, and a low growl sounded from his throat when she leaned in. "In fact, I didn't want you to go on tour at all, because I know how much this business needs you. The only reason you got what you wanted was because you tricked me into giving it to you. That's all well and good, but I won't allow it to happen again this time. I'm a year older and a year wiser."

"What are you now, like, 30?"

Stephanie tossed her head back and snickered, lowering her gaze to meet his. "Don't try to act like you don't know how old I am, you doofus. I'm 36, but I know you know that."

"And just like a fine wine, you improve with age."

The instant she let up on his hair, Chris's arms swept around her waist and pulled her from the safety of her chair. Stephanie let out a yelp as she crash-landed in his lap, and they both fell into a tangled heap on the floor. His nose bumped into hers, and she closed her eyes, anticipating the warmth and tenderness of his lips on hers. Sure enough, as she snaked her arms around his neck, he covered her mouth with his own and leaned her backward in the process, until she was lying flat on her back with him hovering above.

When Chris's arm bumped the wheel of her rolling chair, he pushed it away without bothering to see where he sent it crashing, but the reverberating thud against the wall announced its arrival seconds later. Chris balanced himself over Stephanie on the weight of his left arm and stroked her hair with his right, pulling away only when he had to and leaving a panting Stephanie awaiting his next assault on her mouth. He reached upward to drag his file off of her desk and opened the manila folder, sifting through the papers until he arrived at the document he had been looking for. Tugging it out and tossing what remained of the folder back on the desk, Chris lowered himself onto her body.

"I sent you this paper months ago with all the dates I needed to have cleared from my schedule. Shouldn't that have been enough?" he inquired, lowering his lips to her neck and nibbling at her warm skin. Stephanie moaned and squirmed beneath him, running her hands up and down his back.

"I still...we...my dad makes me...he makes me schedule a meeting."

"Mm-hmm, and why's that?" Chris pulled away long enough to ask. Of course, he knew the answer to every single question he was asking, but it was more fun to act as if he hadn't a clue. The only time Stephanie didn't put her foot down and tell him off for his bothersome tactics was when he made physical contact, so he brought his lips back down to her neck, swirling his tongue over the length of her heated flesh and setting her synapses on fire.

"Because it has...has to be set in stone...oh, please don't stop," Stephanie requested. She allowed her eyes to drift closed and held Chris in place by the back of his head. He tried pulling away to question her further, but when she wouldn't let go of his head, Chris retracted his exploring tongue. "Kiss me again."

"No."

"Please," she whined.

"Let go of my head."

"Kiss me."

"Shouldn't you know how this works by now?" he mumbled, and she savored the contact brought about by his lips inadvertently brushing against her skin, his breath so close she could feel the heat against her neck. "I don't give you anything you want until you give me what I want, so let go of my head," he demanded, following his statement with a brief kiss to her collarbone. Stephanie did as she was told, and Chris pulled the paper towards her head so it was close enough to be visible. He scanned the dates listed and grinned. "Okay, so, I want the four dates at the end of August completely cleared from my schedule. I need the 26th, 28th, 30th, and 31st."

"Wait, which dates?" Stephanie asked dreamily.

"The 26th," he paused to kiss her neck, "the 28th," a second peck, "the 30th," yet another smooch, "and the 31st," he said, ending his requests with an all-powerful, suffocating kiss that consumed every single one of Stephanie's senses and made her toes curl against the bottoms of her shoes. She clawed at Chris's back, writhing beneath him as her breathing quickened. When he pulled away, her face dropped.

"Please don't do this. I can't wait any longer."

"But drawing it out is much more fun," Chris teased. "Do I get the August dates?"

"Yes, you get all of them."

"Good. See how easy this is? You're almost at the grand prize."

"What else do you need?" she huffed out, struggling to catch her breath.

"Let's see," he paused, sliding his hand down the paper as he checked on the following month's dates. "Damn, we've got a lot of shows in September. I didn't realize we were doing this many. Give me a sec to see what I need."

"Hurry," Stephanie urged, cocking her head to the side and pressing repeated kisses to his upper arm. It was the only spot on his body she could reach comfortably from her position and was enough to hold her over until she could get another piece of him. She was brought to a stop only when Chris's voice cut through the silence.

"Okay, so, I have so many dates I'm playing for this month that I need all of September off. Also...yeah, see, the only dates we're not playing that month are the 3rd, 4th, 10th, 14th and, whatever, the point is, I need September off. Do I get it?"

"Yes, yes, you get whatever you want."

"Steph," Chris pouted, running his hand down the side of her cheek as he focused every ounce of his attention on her, "I'm surprised at you. Here I thought you wanted to have fun and play a game, but you're giving in to me without even putting up a fight. That's no fun, now is it?"

"You said if I give them to you, I get what I want."

"Yeah, but I think the rules are about to change, because you're using them to your advantage, and I don't think I like it. You're copping out."

"I am not!" she shot back, eyes flashing as she was hit with a flaring dose of that good old McMahon temper. "I just know what I want."

"Yeah, but you're making this too easy. Last year, you put up way more of a fight before giving me the dates. It's no fun for me if you give me what I want, you get your reward, and then we don't see each other for another several months, except every once in a while. That's boring as hell, actually. You know what I say we do?"

"What?" she asked, lifting her head and making a move for his lips. Chris backed away at the last second, and her eyes swam with disappointment at such sweet temptations dangling only inches out of reach.

"I say we up the ante," Chris said. His eyes softened as he gazed into hers, and before the words left his mouth, pure intuition told her what his final request would be. It was the same one he always asked of her, but she shied away every time. He brushed his hand down her face again and leaned in for a kiss that lacked the animalistic nature of the previous ones. This one held a tenderness it was impossible for Stephanie to overlook. "Steph..."

"Chris, we've talked about this."

"No, we haven't," he denied. "I bring it up, you toss out a lame reason it can't happen, and we go on about our lives as if they're okay when they're really not. All I ever think about is you, and you know that, so for you to keep throwing my feelings back in my face when I _know_ you love me the same way I love you is sickening. Just stop it!"

"I'm not allowed to date the — "

"Yeah, yeah, you're not allowed to date the wrestlers. I've heard it all before, and that's not an excuse," Chris challenged. "If we went to Vince right now and told him we want to be together, what would he do? What _could_ he do? Be upset with you and fire me? I've made and saved my money, so I'm financially set, and being fired from here wouldn't hurt me a single bit. You're his daughter, so he's not going to get rid of you. At worst, he says we stay away from each other, but we're adults and we can do what we want, so it holds no weight."

Stephanie's head nodded off to the side, but not before the daylight pouring in through her office windows outed the tears forming in her eyes. Chris lowered his chin to her chest, lying in wait. She would talk when she was ready, which happened to be sooner than he expected. "I'm scared."

"That's okay. There's no shame in being scared," Chris responded, picking his head up. Stephanie continued staring at the wall. "I'm scared of life all the time, but, dammit, Steph, we've gotta make ourselves happy! Don't you look at us, both without families of our own after all these years, and ask yourself what the fuck we're doing? We're in love with each other and ignoring it. It's stupid, and I don't want to do this to myself anymore. I don't want you to do it to yourself, either."

"I've never dated any wrestlers in my life. I mean, it's such a forbidden thing in this business for the boss's daughter to be involved with any wrestler, no matter who it is. What will people say if they find out I'm dating Chris Jericho? What will they think?"

"So you're embarrassed of me?"

"No!" she rushed out, facing him and cupping his cheeks so fiercely her fingernails nearly dug into his flesh. "You know I didn't mean it like that!"

"I'm not saying you did," Chris stroked her cheek gingerly. "I'm just trying to show you how crazy it is that we're denying ourselves what we want. We're supposed to be together, or else we wouldn't keep doing this every year, and this whole thing about not being able to date the wrestlers is not a real excuse. It may have worked 10 years ago, but you're a fully grown woman now, and you know better. Either you don't want to be with me or you're scared, and since you already said you were scared, that means you _do_ want to be together, right?"

"I do, but it's hard. Shane is so overprotective, and if he knows we're together, he might act funny towards you."

"I can take him," Chris shrugged, maintaining a straight face for a few seconds before falling against Stephanie with laughter. She joined in and stroked his hair until he regained his composure. "No, seriously, though, I don't want to keep hooking up with you once a year when my contract negotiations come around. You deserve much better than random hook-ups, and I want to give it to you, but you have to let me."

"Then give me my reward for letting you have all those dates off."

"Huh?"

"I'll bring you up to my dad the second we walk out of this office and tell him we're together, but I want you first. Make love to me," she said.

"You don't have to tell me twice."

Chris rose to his knees, reaching into his pocket and producing the very protection he anticipated needing on his trip, though the outcome was greater than he could have expected. He tossed the condom onto the floor, and Stephanie began working the package open as he kicked his shoes off, followed by the shedding of his jeans and boxers. He slipped his hands under the bottom of Stephanie's skirt and slid them straight up until it was bunched around her waist, exposing her lace thong. Chris playfully slid his finger under the strap and flicked it against her skin, smiling when she jumped in surprise.

She pouted, so he kissed up the length of her thigh as a peace offering, wiping the sour look right off of her face. When he grabbed hold of her panties, Stephanie lifted off the floor just enough to allow him to slide them down and pull them off at her feet. Chris tossed them away and reached for her wrists, pulling her into a sitting position and allowing her to work the protection onto his growing erection at her own pace. She took her time while Chris rubbed her hair, admiring the woman who would finally become his before the sun would set at the close of the day. She slipped at hand over the tip of his manhood and worked the remainder of the latex over him, earning an appreciative kiss from Chris when the task was complete.

Chris settled on his bottom and crossed his legs in front, motioning for Stephanie to climb on top. He held himself erect as she lowered over his throbbing manhood, sinking into his lap as she faced him directly. Before she could fully encircle his body with her arms and establish a grip, he was driving into her like it was the final time they would ever meet, and the sensation was spectacular. Stephanie lost herself in his penetrating strokes against the innermost walls of her body, clinging to him as if his appearance in front of her was too good to be true and he would disappear if she dared to let go. Chris plunged into a particularly sensitive area, and she cried out, clutching several locks of his hair as her mouth hung open and she lost all sense of direction and time.

Chris swore under his breath when he attempted to kiss her chest but remembered he hadn't rid Stephanie of her shirt. She would have found humor in his irritation if she wasn't so lost in the sweet buildup of her clenched muscles down below. There was a deeper intimacy to be found in facing one another in the act, and Stephanie pulled away and swept her fingertips over Chris's cheek, locking eyes with him as he invaded her body in the most delicious and private of ways. They remained that way for minutes on end, both too lost in each other to keep track of the ticking hand on the wall clock, and when Chris took her to heights previously unexplored, a breathy moan announced her arrival to the peak.

Her dramatic release and resulting excretions swept Chris up to the pinnacle right behind her, and she was already coming down from her high when he tensed and spilled into her, grunting into her chest as he basked in his unraveling. They sat quietly for a long while, holding each other and trading off on kissing and touching until one of them gathered the strength to speak, which just so happened to be Stephanie. She wrapped her hands around the nape of Chris's neck and rested her forehead against his chin. "I'm sorry."

"What for?" he asked.

"For denying you for all these years, and for hurting myself in the process. It was stupid to let my fear get in the way," she admitted. "You know, I tried to date guys outside of the business, I really did. My parents would introduce me to people, and I tried to like them, but deep down, I really only wanted you."

"Why didn't you tell me that when I tried to be with you before?"

"I didn't think I could have you. I thought I was being unrealistic."

"Well, you weren't," Chris corrected. "Everyone else is being unrealistic if they think they're actually going to keep us apart. It won't happen."

"I know that now," Stephanie said, smirking when she caught sight of the neglected paper at her side. She picked it up as her eyes swept over the page, checking all the dates listed for Chris's upcoming Fozzy tour. When she reached up towards her desk, he moved with her so she could reach whatever she was after. He chuckled when Stephanie grabbed a pen and held the paper against the side of her desk, signing off on the sheet to grant Chris all of the days he was asking for.

"Thank you, Steph. That really means a lot to me."

"You're welcome," she said, sliding the paper onto her desk and throwing the pen up after it. Chris was content watching her, with a lazy smile to boot, so she shifted her eyes heavenward and pointed up. "My dad's office is up another floor. I guess we only have one thing left to do, don't we?"

"That's right," Chris agreed.

He extended a smile that reached his eyes enough to add a twinkle to them, and to think she was responsible for his happiness in some way was enough to melt Stephanie's heart. Chris helped her up first after pulling out of her and Stephanie tugged her skirt down, already planning on making a pit stop in the women's restroom for cleanup before continuing to her father's office. Perching on the edge of her desk after straightening herself out, Stephanie admired Chris while he hastily redressed, and he extended his hand to her when his clothing was in place, guiding her across the length of her office. He made it as far as the door, fingers lingering on the handle as Stephanie peered up at him.

"One more thing."

"Yeah?" she asked.

"It was a pleasure doing business with you."

Chris unlocked the door and held it open, the sound of Stephanie's joyous laughter ringing clear through the halls as she led the way to Vince.


End file.
